 | Verses from The island book |  |
206
THE GOLDEN WEDDING.
Is the hope bright? it should be so,—
Brighter than fifty years ago;
A calmer, purer, holier light,
Than shone upon the marriage rite.
Brighter than fifty years ago;
A calmer, purer, holier light,
Than shone upon the marriage rite.
For though the morn should cloudless rise,
Shadows may veil the noonday skies;
But near the close the parting ray
In lines of beauty fades away.
Shadows may veil the noonday skies;
But near the close the parting ray
In lines of beauty fades away.
So shines on earth a well-spent life,—
The daughter, sister, mother, wife,
Whose all-embracing kindness flows
In sympathy with others' woes;
The daughter, sister, mother, wife,
Whose all-embracing kindness flows
In sympathy with others' woes;
The generous heart and open hand,—
A sister of the meek-eyed band,
Whose bounty smooths the brow of care
And bids the smile displace the tear.
A sister of the meek-eyed band,
Whose bounty smooths the brow of care
And bids the smile displace the tear.
207
While friends are thronging round your home,
Alas for me! I cannot come;
But when that rare and costly gem
That sparkles in the diadem
Alas for me! I cannot come;
But when that rare and costly gem
That sparkles in the diadem
That crowns for aye the earthly rite,
Beams radiant with celestial light,
No longer lame, may I not come
And greet you in that happier home?
Beams radiant with celestial light,
No longer lame, may I not come
And greet you in that happier home?
October, 1857.
| Verses from The island book | |